Distinguishing the Venture from the Founder

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Photo by Nicole Michalou from Pexels - The baker creates a gorgeous treat with their hands. But the treat must be served and savored independent of the baker!

In the earliest days of a founder, there is very little distinction between the founder and their venture. As you reach out to your networks and they connect you to others, your audience is equally interested in you and your idea. Especially if you are not creating a stand-alone product, this is, even more, the case. For a long while, a mission or service-based venture is synonymous with the founder. However, as the venture grows, it must develop its own identity.

It Takes Courage

As the founder, putting your values in practice and founding an entity is a very personal journey. It takes courage, determination and discipline to separate yourself from the organization. Giving it a name is the first step. Crafting its origin story and differentiating it from the founder’s story is another important step. Opportunities to craft this narrative arise when bringing on co-founders, team members, investors and clients. In each case, the founder gets the opportunity to talk about what motivated them to found their venture - the founding story and differentiate from the story of the organization - what is its mission, its values and its history.

A Long, Revealing but Beautiful Journey

“It allows both the venture and the founder to grow and change without losing their roots!”

It takes time, effort and discipline to create an authentic, effective and attractive distinction between the founder and the venture. The journey can be revealing but is beautiful and very rewarding in the long run. It affords the founder clarity on why they are doing what they are doing, empowers them to share their reasons while leaving room for others to find their meaning and participate in the venture for their reasons and add their flavor to it. It allows both the venture and the founder to grow and change without losing their roots!